Local councillors send letter to EFA claiming feasibility study was ‘flawed’
Reporter: Stuart Littleford
A letter has been sent to the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency and copied to school’s ministers by local councillors who claim that the recent Saddleworth School feasibility study was “flawed” and lacked “professional objectivity”.
In the letter to Peter Lauener, they wrote: “We are writing to you to express our disappointment with the recently published feasibility study into the choice of sites for the new Saddleworth school.
“As you are aware, the school’s location has been the subject of a great deal of local concern and it was hoped that the report would provide an objective and factual basis for comparing the alternative sites available in terms of value for money and other factors, particularly the impact on the local community.
“Unfortunately, the report fails both the tests of transparency and objectivity.
“The costs of all the options considered were within a few percent of the budgeted figure; the differences entirely due to site abnormals and site engineering work. Yet, detailed civil engineering assessments appear not to have taken place to justify the costs estimates for this work presented in the report. The report is silent on how the cost figures are calculated making it impossible to scrutinise the assumptions made or the process by which the figures have been arrived at. This is puzzling as other very detailed reports are included which have little bearing on the choice of site. A strong impression from the wording of the report is that engineering issues justifying the recommended option have been played down while those for the community preferred alternative magnified and exaggerated.
“More worrying is the complete subjectivity, selectivity and bias in the way other factors were taken into account in comparing the sites. A point system has been adopted to rank the options in order of preference. No justification is given for how weights have been allocated to the different factors considered and the pros and cons given are inconsistent and arbitrary with many important ones omitted altogether. Most staggering in its bias is the section ranking public perceptions of the various options. Nowhere is it stated that 3000 residents have signed a petition indicating a preference for one particular site. This petition, at your request, was presented by us to Mr Green and we were assured it would be taken into account in the deliberations. Nowhere is it mentioned.
“We are very concerned that a study that has taken over six months, and a significant amount of public money to carry out, is so flawed and apparently so lacking in rigour and professional objectivity.”
The letter was sent under the names of Cllr Nikki Kirkham, Cllr Mike Buckley, Cllr Rob Knotts, Cllr Lesley Brown and Cllr Lesley Schofield.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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I am getting totally fed up of these people claiming to be the voice of Saddleworth objecting to the new school being built.3,600 signatures on a petition were handed to the EFA … there are 25,000 people in Saddleworth (2011 Gov census) so that petition shows that 12% are objecting. Does that mean that 78% are for the school moving ? That information wasn’t shown to the EFA was it …Probably not, but that is 12% people … the other 78% were not given a voice in front of the EFA by our elected council officials at Saddleworth Parish Council.
The current school is falling apart – anyone who has kids going there will tell you it is unsafe and is deteriorating rapidly. Saddleworth School will shut, this was stated at the first meeting by both the Council and Mr Milburn – it will have to shut on grounds of health and safety for the children. The electrical system is dangerous, the fire system is inadequate and the roof leaks. There is an alternative, we could shut the school.
What do we stand to lose with the school moving to Diggle, fields that would have been allocated to housing anyway ? We hear of the traffic problems in Uppermill due to the school – so actually congestion will ease in Uppermill. It moves to Diggle yes, but the access to Diggle will get resolved and those who live by the entrance to Diggle won’t live in fear of their wing mirrors being ripped off (again).
Let us assume that the school shuts, Mike wins and we don’t get the new school – there are spaces around Oldham that the children can go to and the Saddleworth roads will be full of buses shipping kids out of the area – the benefit to Oldham will be enormous, maybe this is what Mike Buckley and the SDAG team want, the loss of this facility from Saddleworth altogether, no kids to disturb them as they go about their business in Uppermill?
I know I am being facetious and yes, twisting a knife, but I am constantly being barraged with objections to this school and those of us in support do not get a voice.
As a parent, I am fearful of this viscous campaign showing Saddleworth as being a troublemaker in the regions. The EFA, DoE, LEA and Council all have the rights as of today to shut Saddleworth School – they will if they have to in order to protect those children. Don’t think they will ? Well last time there was an objection, we lost £12.5million for the school (Thanks Mike, appreciated) and no work to the existing school happened. We have a real opportunity here with real money to make a difference to the education of our children.
I want the new school, there I said it… now let’s sit back and watch the online bully team come and attack me on this post.
Not the voice of Saddleworth (apparently)
As a local parent. Not a bully! And not one of those poor people in Diggle. I want the school. I don’t think anyone wants to loose it. I just want it in Uppermill. I think it’s the council that are the bully’s trying to force the school into the wrong place despite the majority wanting it put in the sensible place it is now.
The simple answer to the problem is the best and the council should stop making things complicated and spend our money now. Sorry to completely disagree with you.
How many people signed the petition to move the school to Diggle, wasn’t it about 300.